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Venus

Compiled by Donnette E Davis www.staidenshomeschool.com

Our Solar System

Venus
How big is Venus?
Venus is almost the same size as the Earth. This is one reason why Venus is sometimes thought of as Earth's "twin". Venus has a diameter of about 12,100 km. It has also been visited by many probes.

Venus Facts:
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Earth and Venus Comparison

Venera 7, the first space probe to land on Venus, was destroyed by the hostile conditions on Venus after only 23 minutes. Almost all of the surface features on Venus are named after women. A day on Venus is equal to 117 days on Earth. Venus is the second closest planet to the Sun. It is a terrestrial planet. This means that we think it was created in a similar way to our planet Earth and is made of rock.

The surface of Venus is very different from the surface of the Earth. It is very dry and hot enough to melt lead. The pressure on the surface is very strong. It is the same as being 1 km (3,280 feet) below the surface of the sea on Earth (sort of)

Channels on the surface of Venus, looking like river channels on Earth

The Venera 13 Lander, which made scientific measurements and sent back pictures from the surface of Venus

How long is a day on Venus?
Venus rotates (spins around) even more slowly than Mercury. One full rotation of Venus takes about 243 Earth days. Venus also rotates in the opposite direction to the other planets in the Solar System. One day on Venus, from noon to noon, depends on the length of the year as well as the rotation time, and is about 117 earth days.

How long is a year on Venus?
One year on Venus is almost 225 Earth days long. This is less time than it takes Venus to rotate on its axis and less than two Venus days. A year is shorter than a day on Venus (245 days).

What is Venus made of?
The surface of Venus, its crust, is covered in rock. The core of Venus is made of nickel-iron. The atmosphere around Venus is very thick and is made of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and poisonous gasses that create high pressure and trap in heat.

How much would Venus's gravity pull on me?
If you were on Venus, it would pull you down almost as strongly as Earth. The atmosphere exerts a pressure at the surface more than 90 times Earth's normal sea-level pressure.

Our Solar System Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love. Sometimes it can be seen shining brightly just before dawn or just after sunset. Some people like the Aztecs and the Greeks, gave Venus two names – one for the morning and one for the evening. Because Venus and the Earth are the same size, scientists call Venus "Earth's sister planet". For a long time most scientists thought that Venus had plants, animals, and possibly even people. However because Venus is so hot we now know that it is impossible for anything to live there.

How long would it take people to get there?
It could take around a year to get there.

The thick clouds which cover Venus cause a "greenhouse effect". The clouds prevent heat from leaving the atmosphere. If you have ever been in a greenhouse at a plant farm, you probably were very warm. This is what Venus is like - only much, much hotter.

Our Solar System Venus

Description

A Mini Activity book Focusing on a specific area of the Solar System. The information contained in this book will cover an entire lesson, and so is suitable as teaching material. Ideal for homescho...

A Mini Activity book Focusing on a specific area of the Solar System. The information contained in this book will cover an entire lesson, and so is suitable as teaching material. Ideal for homeschooling. This book is about the planet Venus.